This season is just one long recurring nightmare for Rams running back Todd Gurley, who once again is up against one of the NFL’s top rushing defenses. The Panthers allow an average of 3.3 yards per rush, tied for the stingiest in the league. Denver sliced and diced Carolina for 148 rushing yards in the season opener, but since then the Panthers have allowed more than 90 rushing yards in a game only once. The Panthers are so good up front that they might not even need to stack the box against Gurley. They might be able to play things straight up and still stifle the Rams’ running game. Either way, the pressure once again falls on Rams quarterback Case Keenum to back off the Panthers’ defense and establish respect for the Rams’ passing game. The Panthers have allowed 8.5 yards per pass attempt this season, the worst average in the NFL, and they have allowed 16 passing touchdowns in seven games. The Panthers had four interceptions in their first two games, but only three in their last five games. Edge: PANTHERS

PANTHERS OFFENSE vs. RAMS DEFENSE

This should be a great matchup of strength vs. strength. The Carolina offense, after some major early-season inconsistency, is coming around. Running back Jonathan Stewart is back from injury and linebacker-sized quarterback Cam Newton is the type of run-pass threat that has posed problems for the Rams this season (such as Blaine Gabbert and Tyrod Taylor). It seems as though Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson might return from an ankle injury, and the Rams need him. The secondary held up fairly well in Johnson’s absence, but the Panthers feature some big receivers, led by 6-foot-5 Kelvin Benjamin, and a world-class tight end in Greg Olsen. Newton has been publicly frustrated about hits that he believes should have been called personal-foul penalties. Clearly, Newton is a bit distracted these days. The Rams will need to keep Newton in the pocket and pressure him, because there’s little margin for error for the Rams’ defense. The Panthers are as balanced as they’ve been all season. Edge: RAMS

SPECIAL TEAMS

No doubt, Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein can empathize with Graham Gano, his Carolina counterpart. Gano, well-regarded before this season, has struggled. He missed a 50-yard field goal that would have beat Denver in the season opener, and missed a 43-yard attempt against Tampa Bay in a 17-14 loss last month. Gano also has missed two extra points, but last week against Arizona, Gano hit all three field-goal attempts (including one from 52 yards) and all three extra-point attempts, so perhaps he’s coming around. Zuerlein, who has reestablished himself after last season’s struggles, remains one of three NFL kickers to be perfect on field-goal (10) and extra-point (12) attempts this season. The Panthers have an experienced, and potentially explosive, returner in Ted Ginn, but don’t have any special-teams touchdowns. The Rams’ Johnny Hekker continues to be arguably the NFL’s top punter. Edge: RAMS

COACHING

Carolina’s Ron Rivera (a linebacker) and the Rams’ Jeff Fisher (a defensive back) were teammates with the Chicago Bears for two seasons and technically won a Super Bowl together, although Fisher was injured for the entirety of that 1985 season. The Panthers were coming off a 2-10 record when Rivera took over after the 2010 season. Rivera’s Panthers have made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history, and last season they went 15-1 and lost to Denver in the Super Bowl. The Panthers got off to a shockingly bad 1-5 start this season (with a victory over San Francisco), but utilized their bye week well and rebounded with an all-around impressive 30-20 victory over Arizona last week. Rivera, a Northern California native, and Fisher have opposed each other only once as head coaches, in 2013, when the Panthers recorded a 30-15 home victory. Edge: PANTHERS

INTANGIBLES

One significant reason for the Panthers’ turnaround last week against Arizona? They held onto the ball. The Panthers lost one fumble, but in their previous five games, they’d committed a total of 14 turnovers and had at least two in each game. The Panthers are fairly disciplined when it comes to penalties, but the same can’t be said for the Rams. It will be interesting to see how sharp the Rams look coming off their bye week. The Panthers have been an inconsistent first-quarter team this season, but last week, when they were coming off their bye, they outscored the Cardinals 14-0 in the opening quarter. That’s the type of early boost that the rested Rams will need against the Panthers. Edge: RAMS

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Rams RG Cody Wichmann vs. Panthers DT Star Lotulelei: The Rams figure to face a major challenge in Lotulelei, who earned NFC defensive player of the week honors for last Sunday’s performance, in which he sacked Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer three times and forced a fumble that led to a Carolina touchdown. Lotulelei, a former first-round draft pick, hadn’t been particularly threatening before last week, but he could be a handful for Wichmann, assuming he starts. Wichmann and Jamon Brown have been tag-teaming the right-guard duties, and Brown missed the Rams’ last game with a broken bone in his left hand. Brown might play against Carolina, but both he and Wichmann have struggled at times this season.

PREDICTION

Expect the Rams’ offense to be mediocre, per usual, and this game to turn on two things: the Rams’ ability to stop the Panthers’ run game (both with Newton and Stewart) and their ability to force turnovers. If the Panthers can move the ball on the ground and keep the Rams’ defense off-balance, it’s tough to see the Rams pull this one out. On the other hand, it seems as though the Rams’ defense is due to force some turnovers. In their past three games, the Rams have failed to record an interception and have recovered only one fumble. The Panthers are mistake-prone, and even though they’ve lost three consecutive games, the Rams have been in every one until the end. This figures to be another close one. PANTHERS 21, RAMS 17

Rich Hammond was a high school senior when the Rams left town in 1995, and now he's their beat writer for the Southern California News Group. A native of L.A., Rich broke in at the Daily Breeze as a college freshman and also has covered USC, the Kings, the Lakers and the Dodgers. He still loves sports and telling stories. Don't take the sarcastic tweets too seriously.

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